Pendulum retaining means



June 10, 1952 QROTHWHLE'R 2,600,266

PENDULUM RETAINING MEANS Filed March 6, 1947 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVEN TOR.CHARLES O. ROTHWEILER A T TOR/YE Y.

June 10, 1952 c. ROTHWEILER PENDULUM RETAINING MEANS 5 SheeuarSheec 3Filed March 6, 1947 INVENTOR. CHARLES O. ROTHWELER A TTO PNE' Y,

Patented June 10, 1952 PENDULUM RETAINING MEANS Charles Rothweiler,Milwaukee, Wis.,

to David White Company,

assignor Milwaukee, Wis., a

corporation of Wisconsin Application March 6, 1947, Serial No. 732,831

4 Claims.

My invention relates to. improvements in astrolabes and moreparticularly to a pendulum construction in a type of astrolabe forfinding astronomical latitude and longitude.

The object of my invention is to provide a simple, readily accessiblemeans of controlling the pendulum action in every direction.

Another object of my invention is to provide a pendulum that can be setto permit a predetermined limited action during its operation.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a locking means thatwill retain the pendulum in a rigid position, thereby preventing damageor injury to the delicate spring arrangement of the pendulum during thetransportation of the device.

Other and further objects of my invention will become more apparent asthe description proceeds and when taken in conjunction with the drawingsin which Figure 1 is a perspective outside view of an assembledastrolabe mounted on a base, and illustrating the position of thelocking screws that control the action of the pendulum within theenclosure of the device.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of the astrolabe taken atthe line through the observing scope and the lens arrangement thereof.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary cross-sectional View of the. astrolabe takenat the line 3--3 in Fig- "v Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of thelooking screw assembly for the pendulum.

Figure 5- is a side view of the outside of the locking screw assembly asshown in Figure 4, and

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the pendulum assembly showing thearrangement of the mirror, the springs, and the depressions within theside of the frame of the pendulum, into which the locking means engage.

Similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughoutthe several views and referring now to the same, the character I shows amain casting forming an enclosure for housing the optical arrangementand pendulum, and having an approximate Y shape or contour. This maincasting I9 is attached to a main plate H which is of a flat radialcontour and which encloses and houses the azimuth circle and acts as aprotection for it. There is a tangent screw l2 shown mounted to the topof the plate II for moving the instrument slowly in azimuth. This screwdevice [2 is also arranged for disengagement from the azimuth circle forfast motion of the azimuth. The azimuth circle is graduated in theconventional manner from 0 to 360 and is attached to an outer spindle l3and a spindle clamp shown as 14 which allows the azimuth circl to remainstationary while the instrument is rotated, or to rotate with theinstrument about its vertical axis. Obviously, the graduations on theazimuth circle would permit setting the instrument at any desired degreeon the azimuth.

The spindle I3 is constructed in a conventional manner consisting of aninner and outer member such as are commonly used on surveying transits.The outer portion being fitted to a cuff bearing on. the base and isattached to the azimuth circle. The clamp screw l4 keeps the spindlefrom turning after the azimuth circle has been zeroed. The inner spindleis attached to the main plate supporting the instrument on the basewhich is threaded to fit the top of the tripod or a base l5 as shown,and four leveling screws 16 are shown to allow the level adjustment.There are also two level vials I1 mounted on the plate H for theadjustment of the instrument.

The body I0 is provided with an observing scope shown as l8 which is.provided with an object lens. cell as shown. in Figure 2, a horizontaltell-ite mirror 19 is mounted on the pendulum 20, and a lens arrangement2| also forms a part of the body Hi. There is also shown a finder scope22 which is doweled to the main casting l0 so that its optical center isnearly parallel to the center of the observing scope l8, and a smalladjustable mirror is mounted in the bottom center of the finder toreflect the light from the lens, to the eye piece 23 forming a part ofthe finder scope arrangement.

There is an illuminating system consisting of a battery mounted within acase 24 attached to the main casting Hi. This battery energises a light25 controlled by means of a manually operated switch 26 in theconventional manner.

The pendulum 20 consists of a light-weight frame assembly supporting ahorizontal mirror I9. It is suspended at its top by two sets of leafsprings. One set of springs 21 allows a forward and backward motion ofthe pendulum, while the other set of springs 28 allows for sidewaysmotion. There are four vanes 29 attached to the bottom of the pendulumframe below the mirror I 9 and hang between the vanes of the dampeningdevice fixed to the main plate, and thus all motion of the pendulum isair dampened in a small clearing space between the vanes 29 and thevanes of the dampening device.

There are shown four pendulum locking screws In Figures 4 and 5 I show adetailed construction oi these pendulumlocking screws 30,

in which the screw threadedly engagesa bushing 32,.which in turnthreadedly engages themain casting l0 and which is provided with a locknut 33. The outwardly extending flanges of the bushing 32 and the locknut 33 are shown provided-with apertures 34 for engagement of thelocking pins. (not shown). The. conical point 35 of the screw 30 engagesthe depression Bl in the pendulum frame 20. The-pendulum is lockedwithin theenclosure formed by the main casting It! by turning the screwto engage the conical point. and put it into engagement with thedepression 31 in the pendulum 2 0. The screw 30 engages the bushingfBZand is locked-into a fixed position by means of the nut 33, thusdisengagementfof 'the conical point 35 with the depression 3,! to asmall degree, will permit controlledaction of the pendulum'20 and limitits movement forward, backward, as well as side- JYS- In thechosenembodiment of my invention there are features not heretoforedisclosed in the prior art. However, I am fully cognizant of the factthat many changes in the form and configuration of the component partsmay be made without in any way affecting their efficiency oroperativeness, and I reserve the right to make such changes as I maydeem necessary or convenient without departing from the spirit of myinvention or the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described claim and desire to secure the United States is:

1. A pendulum controlling and retaining means comprising a main body,said body comprising a plurality of locking screws disposed inadjustable bearings mounted in said body inopposite relation to oneanother,said screwsprovided' with conical points disposed inwardly, acorresponding number of concave depressions arranged within the side ofsaid pendulum, the conical points of said screws registering with saidconcave depression, and means for retaining said screws in anypre-determined fixed position within said bearings for the control ofsaid pendulum.

2. A pendulum controlling and retaining means comprising a main body, aplurality of screws dis my invention, what I by Letters Patentin her ofconcave depressions 4 posed in bearings adjustable mounted in said mainbody in opposite relation to one another, said screws provided withconical points inwardly disposed, a corresponding number of concavedepressions disposed within the side wall of said pendulum, the conicalpoints of said screws registering with said conical depressions, andmeans on said screws for limiting the travel of said screws in anypre-determined fixed position for the control of said pendulum.

3. A pendulum controlling and retaining means comprising a main body, aplurality of locking screws disposed in bearings threadedly mounted insaid main body in opposite relation to one another, said screws providedwith conical points inwardly disposed, a corresponding numprovided withthe side of the pendulum frame, the conical points of said screwsregistering with said concave depressions, and locking means forretaining said bearings in any pre-determined fixed position forcontrolling the movement retard the movement of said pendulum.

4, A pendulum controlling and retaining means comprising a main'body, aplurality of locking screws disposed in adjustably mounted bearingsmounted in said main body in opposite relation to one another, two ofsaid screws mounted near the top of said main body and two nearthebottom of said main body, said screws provided with conical pointsinwardly disposed, a corresponding number of concave depressionsdisposdwithin the side of said pendulum, the conical points of saidscrews registering with said concave depressions, and locking means forretainingsaid hearings in any pre-determined fixed position for limitingthemovement of said screws intheir contact'wi'th said pendulum.

CHARLES ROTHWEILER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS of said screws to

